Steam-trap



(No Model.) I

N. P. ALDRIGHL Steam Trap. No. 241,581. A Patented May 17, I881.

} y/ I2 1/ a Elk #9 w /m a L h Z Witnesses; I Luz/622602:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NELSON P. ALDRICH, OF PLAINFIELD, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO ALFRED B. PITKIN, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

STEAM-TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,581, dated May 17, 1881.

Application filed February 21, 1881. v (No model.)

To all whom it any concern Be it known that I, NELsoN P. ALDRICH, of Plainfield, in the county of Windham and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Steam-Traps,

of which the following is a description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, \vl1ere i Figure 1 is a view, in central vertical longi- 1 o tudinal section, of a steam-trap made in accordance with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a view of a part of the valve-stem in vertical section on the plane as m. Fig. 3 is a detail view, show.- ing the pivot of the ball-arm in horizontal section on plane :0 00.

The letter a denotes the case which contains the valve and other parts.

b denotes the inlet-orifice through which water and steam enter case a.

cdenotes the double-elbowed exit-pipe,( meaning by double-elbowed pipe a pipe which has a vertical part with a lateral part at the foot and another lateral part running in a different direction at the top.) The lower end of pipe 0 is stopped by a screw-plug, d, and the upper lateral arm runs out through one side or end of the casing, and is exteriorly provid ed with a key-lug, c, fitting to a corresponding lug-seat in the side of the casing, whereby the whole pipe is held from swinging or rotation.

In the upper side of the lower lateral arm of pipe 0 a valve-orifice, f, is made, fitted with the valve g, which rises to open and falls to 3 5 close. The stem of this valve is borne by and has vertical reciprocation in the lugs h h, which project from the side of the vertical part of the pipe 0. The upper end of the valvestem is mortised, and in the mortise is pivot- 40 allyhung the pendulous arm 2, swelled into two convex cheeks at the pivot-point, so that the arm at this point may come in close contact with the sides of the mortise, preventing all side play, and yet give little contact of frictional surfaces. The lower end of this arm is pivotally attached to the float-arm j, the purpose of this pendulous arm being to make the movements of the float-arm and the valvestem synchronous, (vertically,) allowing the float-arm a rotary' motion of which the valve- .stem does not partake, and to attain this end with the minimum of resulting friction, the

pivoted end of the float-arm is pivotally attached to the top of the upper lateral arm of the exit-pipe, the pipe bearing at this point two lugs for that purpose, and the sides of the fioat-arnr at the pivot-point being swelled into two convex cheeks, which come in close contact with the bearing-1n gs, and so prevent side play of the float-arm and yet give little contact of frictional surfaces. The free end of the float-arm bears a ball-float, which rests in the water, and whenever the water rises high enough the ball, in rising with it, raises the valve, openingit, and water flows out until the water and the float with it sink, so that the valve closes.

It will be observed that the exit-pipe with its vertical and lateral parts, and the bearinglugs for the valve-stem and for the floatarm, are so located and arranged with reference to each other that all can be cast with proper coring) in one piece. The double-elbowed exitpipe forms an elementot' the combination specified in the first of the following claims, and also under the name double-elbowed pipe, an element of the combination specified in the secondot' the following claims. The doubleelbowed pipe is hereinbefore defined as a pipe which has a vertical part with a lateral part at the foot and another lateral part running in a different direction at the top. The shape herein defined and specified is an essential feature of the invention specified in the first claim, in that it gives me a pipe with its entrance below the water-line and its exit above the waterline.

I claim as my improvement 1. The combination of the casing, the double-elbowed exit-pipe, the reciproeatin g valve, and the float-arm, all constructed and arranged substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the exit-pipe, the reciprocating valve-stem, the pendulous arm 1', 5 and thefloat-arm, all substantially as described, and for the urpose set forth.

In witness l that I claim the same as my invention I hereto set my hand this 8th day of February, A. D. 1881.

NELSON P. ALDRICH.

Witnesses:

WM. E. SIMONDS, JAMES J. GREENE. 

